Economy Young South Koreans turn to Japan for work

South Korean job seekers are increasingly looking to Japan as a shortage of attractive entry-level positions at home contrasts with growing labour demand across the Sea of Japan. Major South Korean employers such as Samsung are increasingly hiring experienced workers, while many older employees remain in the workforce, making it harder for younger people to secure their first jobs. In ageing Japan, meanwhile, companies are struggling to fill graduate recruitment programmes that provide structured training for new employees.

The trend has prompted a growing number of recruitment firms to target the market. KOREC, a service connecting South Korean job seekers with Japanese employers, launched in 2019. This year, South Korea's Wanted Lab and Japan's LAPRAS, both specialising in technology recruitment, introduced similar services, joining early entrant Mynavi.

Seoul has also hosted at least three job fairs focused on employment in Japan this year, attracting companies including Canon Imaging Systems and industrial automation manufacturer Azbil. According to the latest figures for June, South Korea's youth unemployment rate stood at 7.0%, while Japan's overall unemployment rate was 2.5%.

While the vast majority of foreigners with work visas in Japan hold blue-collar jobs, the 80,000-plus Koreans working in the country commonly fill professional roles in sectors such as retail, IT and game development, according to the Korea Labor Institute. The Human Resources Development Service of Korea recorded 2,257 young Koreans taking jobs in Japan last year through government-backed programs, marking a 47% jump from 2024 and making Japan their top destination for ⁠working overseas. For the U.S., the figure dropped 29%.

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And another interesting detail:

Despite a sometimes-fractious relationship between the two democracies, mostly ‌over Japan's past colonial rule of Korea, it is not only in employment where ties are growing. In 2025, marriages between Korean men and Japanese women jumped 26% from ‌the previous year to double the number in 2020, while Korean women marrying Japanese men surged 29% despite a flat overall international-marriage market, according to South Korea's statistics agency. A record number of South Koreans have visited Japan this year and now account for the country's biggest group of inbound tourists.

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